Orca Island Cabin's Sustainability & Environmental Policy

Setting the standard in sustainable tourism practices

Our Environmental Policy

In 2010, Orca Island Cabins was awarded a Gold level certification by Adventure Green Alaska for setting the standard in sustainable tourism practices in Alaska. Read more about our Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Policies.

It is the goal of Orca Island Cabins to provide our guests with quality overnight accommodations in a remote and picturesque island setting in Alaska. In order to maintain the quality of our lodging facilities and associated recreational activities available to our guests, particular and ongoing attention is paid to preserving the natural environment of the island and the expanse of shoreline both in Humpy Cove and Resurrection Bay.

To avoid or minimize any adverse impact, we have utilized yurts as cabins which are environmentally friendly and provide a more natural outdoor lodging experience. We have purposely limited the number of yurts on the island to maximize privacy and avoid overbuilding, thereby preserving the natural attributes of the island. The four yurts erected on the nearby shoreline property were carefully positioned so as to ensure maximum privacy and ocean views with minimal impact on temperate rainforest environment in the is area. Potable water is transported to the island from the Seward Small Boat Harbor; propane is the fuel used for the cabin heaters, hot water/on-demand water heaters, cabin ranges and barbecues; and solar power is the source of the limited electricity available on the island. And each yurt contains a bathroom with compost toilet.

In our effort to promote sustainable tourism, we introduce our guests to “Leave No Trace” policies and practices. Since our guests engage in a number of recreational activities – kayaking, hiking, beachcombing, tide-pool exploring, among others – they are instructed on how to avoid or minimize impacting the natural landscape and resources in the pursuit of those activities.

Our guests are also introduced to the unique and diverse history of Seward, Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Fjords National Park, the geological make-up of Resurrection Bay and the outer coastal waters of the Kenai Fjords National Park, the native history of the area including that of the Alutiiq or southern coastal people of Alaska, the role of Seward and Resurrection Bay in World War II, the great earthquake of 1964, the diversity of its marine and plant life, and much more.

We shall endeavor to share with our guests a unique island setting and an educational opportunity that we hope will contribute to an understanding of, and appreciation for, the need to protect the natural environment and its resources wherever one may live or travel.